Description

The Organ Needle is the highest and probably the most visited peak in the Organs. The trail to it can be reached from either La Cueva or Modoc Mine Road and winds up the west side of it. (It has been overused and is in horrible condition.) When you reach Hummingbird Saddle (at the top of Dark Canyon) the Retaining Wall is to your right, Minerva's Temple lower down ahead of you, about the direction of Sugarloaf.

The Squaretops are to the north of Organ Needle. As viewed from Organ Needle, there are two peaks divided by a gully running North-South between them. The peak to the left is refered to as Little Sqauretop and is the peak that is seen when gazing at the Organs from the West. The peak on the right is referred to as Little Squaretop Massif and is similarly the only peak visible when gazing at the Organs from the East. To make these names even more confusing, Squaretop peak (or Big Squaretop) is the square-like cog further north along the mountain ridge, but it only resembles a square-cog when viewed from the west.

There are a number of old mountaineering routes up to these summits, as well as steep technical climbs which can be found on the myriad of faces, ridges, and pinnacles which surround these peaks. These include the Tiger Fang formation, found low on the northeast side of Little Squaretop Massif, which is a stunning shark-fin-like pinnacle first climbed in 1956.

Getting There

From La Cueva or Modoc Mine Road, or on the east side from about the middle of Pine Tree Trail, look at individual peaks and/or routes for details.

This is a variation of the Normal Route as described in Ingraham's guide to the Organ Moutains web.nmsu.edu/~amato/ingrahamgu.... It goes up a gully on the S face of Organ Needle, and is the quickest way to reach the summit. The rock in this gully is solid, the climbing is fun, and the views/exposure are spectacular. Instead of following Ingraham's description by climbing onto the crumbly rock immediately north of Hummingbi...[more]Browse More Classics in New Mexico